Sensitive than Nerve
by templefugate
Summary: Zelda looked up, her eyes widening. "Oh-" She was silent for a moment, her eyes locked on the other woman. She had never thought that she was... Zelda bit her lip and silently cursed herself for not having a better gaydar. Surely Zelda could have figured it out before the other had gotten around to grabbing a book like this. Tumblr Prompt: Zelpeach librarian/avid reader


The first rule of being a librarian on her campus library was to never judge what anyone checked out. Zelda had spent many a day exploring the seemingly endless halls and floors of Hyrule University's library, scouring through everything from worn paperback romance novels to ancient textbooks that had been around as long as the very building. A little bit of everything could be found inside, so it should have come to no surprise if a student ever checked out anything odd.

Still, Zelda's hand shook as she reached to take the books from the blonde's hand. There were only a few feet and a hard wooden counter separating the two.

She came every week, usually around six or so, and always wearing the same faded pink hoodie. Her hair was usually in three different styles - a bun, a long, swishy ponytail, or hung free, the wavy blond hair going down a few inches below her shoulders. Not that she had been paying attention, it was just easier to notice things when someone was a regular.

Time and Circumstance, Zelda thought, looking over the worn title again. Though it was hardcover, it had no slip (and may never have considering its age), having nothing but its hard name etched on the front and spine. Over a year since she had read it and the words still swam through her head, the beautiful prose on the tip of her tongue.

"Are you feeling okay?"

Zelda looked up, her eyes widening. "Oh-" She was silent for a moment, her eyes locked on the other woman. She had never thought that she was... Zelda bit her lip and silently cursed herself for not having a better gaydar. Surely Zelda could have figured it out before the other had gotten around to grabbing a book like this. More than a romance novel, Time and Circumstance was one of the few works that Zelda had actively read with even more vigor than usual, a book where the author herself had written on Zelda's psyche. "Yes, I'm fine."

"You're usually faster than this." The girl's lips turned downwards. "That probably sounds a bit weird, huh? Sorry, it's just that you're the one always checking me out."

Zelda quickly lowered her face, now burning like a lit match; the other girl (all this time, Zelda realized, and she still didn't know the other's name) seemed to not have caught her earlier double meaning.

"This book is really good," Zelda said suddenly. How the words left her lips even she didn't know. Slowly, she raised her head and looked the other in the eyes. "I mean really good, good enough to skip your homework for."

A peachy grin crossed the other's face, her lips parting to reveal gleaming white teeth. For a moment she looked less like a college student, one only a month from finals no less, and looked more like a princess straight from the fairy tales Zelda had read as a child.

"Then it's definitely worth getting," she said.

Quickly, Zelda scanned it and handed it to her. "So that's all for tonight?" Her eyes momentarily locked on the computer screen, catching the girl's name only a moment before the screen returned to its normal layout.

Pesca, Zelda thought. The word certainly rolled off the tongue.

"Yes," Pesca replied. She took her book and held it close to her chest. "Thank you." With one quick step, she moved from being right by the counter to only a few feet from the door. Each movement she took was brisk. The only other time that Zelda had seen her walk like that was when she came in some nights wearing the university's soccer team's uniform. Right as she was about to reach the door, however, she turned. "You better be right about this being worth skipping homework for."

"You can come tell me what you thought about it when you're done," Zelda replied.

Pesca shot her a grin. "I'll be sure to."

* * *

 **Note:** "Pesca"is the Italian word for Peach.


End file.
